The Galilean Chalice
The Galilean Chalice was a comic strip story which was first published in the TV Express Weekly Issues Number 332 to 337 from 11 March 1961 to 15 April 1961. The strip, published in colour, was the first Biggles comic to be drawn by Mike Western for TV Express. A French translation of the story was later carried in issue 34 of the comic magazine Rin Tin Tin published by SAGE in December 1962 under the title Le ciboire galiléen (The Galilean Chalice). In 2002, Belgian publisher Miklo reissued this and several other Biggles comic stories as an album entitled Biggles contre le Dr Zanchu, part of its Biggles Heritage series. Here the story was given the title Biggles et le ciboire galiléen. The original strips on TV Express did not carry a story title. The Miklo compilation on its bibliography on the last page rendered the English title as Biggles and the Galilean Chalice, a direct translation of the French. Between 2007-2010, Express Publications published compilations of various TV Express Biggles stories in three volumes each with a very limited print run of only 30 copies. Here the story was given the title The Galilean Chalice and this first available English title is used as for this article.This French webpage contains good information about the TV Express Comics. Compared with the earlier stories in the TV Express series, Chalice was significantly shorter. The entire story is told within 6 pages of drawings. Synopsis Biggles is asked to help recover an ancient artefact which had been looted from Rome by German forces during World War 2. Plot (Click on expand to read) Biggles, Bertie and Ginger are summoned urgently to meet with Air Commodore Raymond. It's about a precious ancient artefact, the Galilean Chalice which had looted from Rome when the Germans retreated from the city in 1944. Some time ago, Scotland Yard had received information from the F.B.I. that a Texan millionaire art collector James Q. Cossum was on his way to London. Cossum had gone on to meet an Italian named "Angelo" at Victoria station. Cossum had also withdrawn half a million pounds from his London bank and placed them in five suitcases deposited at the left baggage office in Victoria. Shortly thereafter, he had been run down and killed by a car near his hotel. The money had disappeared. Cossum was notorious for the unscrupulous methods which he employed to get art objects which he wanted for his collection. Scotland Yard believed (Raymond didn't explain how or why) that Cossum had deposited the half million to pay for the Galilean Chalice. Biggles, Bertie and Ginger head for Berlin where they are met by an officer from the Allied Control Commission. Unknown to them, Private Smith, their driver, has reported their arrival to Angelo. One of Angelo's henchmen, a sniper, takes a shot at their jeep. The bullet was meant for Biggles but ended up hitting Smith instead. Biggles and co. proceed to call on one Colonel von Walhousen. He was the commander of the German unit which had looted the art objects from Rome during the war. However, they discover that von Walhousen had died from a heart attack recently. Outside von Walhousen's residence, Angelo's men try again. The sniper signals a truck driver to crash his lorry into their jeep. Biggles and co. jump aside just in time. Bertie grabs the truck driver while Biggles pursues the sniper. The sniper heads for a waiting car, but Angelo, inside, decides not to wait. He shoots the sniper and drives off. But Biggles has recognised Angelo in the car. Biggles and co. study the papers in the Allied Control Commission archives and discover that von Walhousen had been married to an Italian woman, the Countess Degarri. She was the sister of the Count Angelo Degarri, one of the aides of Mussolini. This is the link at last! Biggles and co hurry to Italy. A carabinieri officer, Captain Del Ergo, joins them. His men are all ready to go after Angelo, he says. The carabinieri surround Angelo's house but he has seen them coming and jumps into a sports car and bursts through the cordon. Biggles, Bertie and Ginger jump into a car to give chase. Captain Del Ergo keeps calling after them in vain to come back and leave Angelo to his carabinieri. Biggles and co. chase Angelo as he makes a desparate bid down a curving mountain road towards the frontier. Behind comes Captain Del Ergo trying to catch up with the "mad" Englishmen. Angelo's car is too fast. Biggles realises he may not catch him before he reaches the frontier so he tries something desperate and turns off the road and heads down the slope--directly towards Angelo's car which is coming the other way after negotiating an "S" bend. Biggles and co. jump out of their car which careers down the slope and smashes into the road just in front of Angelo who serves off the road to avoid it. Angelo's car itself now plunges down slope. On the grass near the wreckage of Angelo's car, Biggles finds and retrieves the Galilean chalice. Captain Del Ergo is delighted. He tells Biggles they had also recovered all the money Cossum had paid for the chalice. He insists that the carabinieri get the honour of returning the chalice to Rome. Leaving for the airport, Bertie tells the others he gets the feeling their presence wasn't exactly welcomed by Del Ergo. Biggles doesn't mind. The job's been done and they can go home. Characters The Special Air Police *Air Commodore Raymond *Biggles *Ginger Hebblethwaite *Bertie Lissie Others *James Q. Cossum *Private Smith *Oberst von Walhousen *Count Angelo Degarri *Captain Del Ergo Aircraft *Auster J1 Autocrat Places Visited *London *Berlin *Italy Research notes Illustrations Editions References and external links Category:Derivative works